1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of bedding and to the particular field of pillows. More specifically, the present invention relates to a supportive travel pillow combined with an eye mask and headrest support for increased comfort during travel and in otherwise well lit environments.
Relaxing and sleeping while travelling can be difficult. Individuals may have trouble blocking out surrounding sounds and lights, and may struggle to find comfortable positions in vehicle seats and while seated in a near upright position. Further, for business travelers or night travelers, adequate sleep is a requirement for proper rest and operating at a full capacity the following day. To alleviate sleeping problems while traveling, many consumers use eye masks to block out disruptive lights, as well as portable, supportive neck pillows for upper-body comfort. Typical neck pillows a C-shaped cushions that wrap around the sides and back of a user's neck, allowing the user to support their head in an upright fashion while seated upright. This prevent neck cricks and pains due to slouching of the user's head while sleeping in an upright position, and further prevents the user for leaning onto another structure (i.e. the cabin walls or window of a plane). However, neck pillows do not offer adequate support or cushioning for the back portions of user's head, resulting in discomfort and the head resting backwards onto the neck pillow alone with no support from the seat. Compounding the issues related to current neck pillows and traveling environments is the presence of ambient or higher than preferred lighting therein. These environments can prevent some individuals from achieving complete R.E.M. sleep. These individuals often carry eye masks while traveling, which are carried separately from the neck support pillow. This added cargo can be cumbersome and a hassle, and may increase the risk of one or both items becoming misplaced and lost.
An effective solution is necessary to address the issue of a head and neck support, while providing a user with an environment conducive to achieving restful sleep in the confines of a travelling environment, such as on a plane, train or other situation wherein a user is seated in a generally upright position for an extended period of time. The present invention provides a combined headrest, neck pillow and eye mask in one assembly, addressing this need in the art. The head rest is a cushioned pillow that attaches to a standard, C-shaped neck pillow via a loop of material. A pouch along the backside of the headrest pillow provides a storage location for an attached eye mask, which is affixed to the headrest using a strip of fabric to prevent misplacement of eye mask. In use, the user is supported around his or her neck and along the back of his or her head, while the mask is placed over the user's eyes to create a dark environment for improved sleep in otherwise lit environments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several patents have issued related to combinations of pillows and eye masks. While these inventions describe similar elements to the present invention, they have several known drawbacks and do not completely address the issues of head and neck support, while providing an eye mask.
Several issued patents describe custom neck pillow and support devices. Honer U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,263 is directed to a pillow carried on a person's head to hold the head in a natural position. The pillow includes a back cushion held against the back of the head, and side cushions held against the sides of the head. The side cushions attach to the back cushion, holding the rear ends together. Straps are fixed to the front of the side cushions to holding the front ends together. A flap is fixed to the back cushion, extending over the top of the head and is fixed to the straps to prevent downward movement of the pillow. The back cushion may have an extension shaped to support the natural shape of the cervical region of the backbone. Similarly, Swift U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,256 is directed to a pillow worn in the manner of a helmet including an inner layer of cotton type material, an outer layer and an intermediate layer of foam. The pillow blocks noise and light from getting to the wearer. The pillow also includes a neck-supporting portion. A stretchable neck-encircling portion permits pulling the pillow over the wearer's head while holding the pillow snugly in place.
The Honer and Swift inventions describe customized sleeping devices for attachment to the neck that may include a means of covering the user's eyes and ears. Both devices are not capable of attachment to a neck pillow, and thus, force the user to forego the ability to incorporate the headrest support and eye mask onto an existing travel neck pillow. The Honer and Swift device are further not adapted for use in public situations, such as in a traveling environment. These devices are more therapeutic head covers that provide eye covering and head cushions for rest in a normal resting position. They are both cumbersome and overly intrusive in a traveling environment. The present invention provides neck and head support, while providing eye coverage. The device functions with a standard neck pillow with no alterations.
Adamo U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,561 is directed to an improved sleeping mask that wraps around the front of a user's head and connects to his or her ears, providing noise baffling and improved darkness for a resting user. For providing noise protection, a holding device is formed that extends into a region adjacent to the wearer's ears and pertains to an eye mask and receiving pockets for the outer ears on the inner side facing the head. A drawstring has one end secured to the eye mask and a free end projecting out of a recess in a lower edge of the eye mask. The drawstring pulls to secure the outer end into a receiving pocket. The Adamo invention describes an eye mask that secures to the ears and fails to address the issues of neck and head support in combination with an eye mask cover, as provided in the present invention.
The aforementioned prior art devices fail to provide for the appropriate combination of head and neck cushioning, combined with an apparatus for shrouding a user's eyes that is easily transported and used in a travel environment. While suited for their intended purposes and fulfilling a need in the art, the prior art devices lack the ability to be utilized with a standard neck pillow, and further do not provide the combined sleep aids necessary for an seated, upright user while traveling. The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing neck pillow, headrest pillow and eye cover combination devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.